The Emerald Mile

[Vegan.Hiker]

I'll just leave this article here: http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/01/25/denver-man-completes-grand-canyon-river-trip-in-record-time/

Oh well, records are made to be broken. I don't think this detracts from the book as it wasn't so much about the record itself. It was more about the opposing forces of progress and conservation heading down a collision path that year. And the interesting personalities surrounding the story.

 

[Dan_85]

Rudi Petschek, last surviving oarsman from the Emerald Mile's run, discussing last week's new records:

http://www.canoekayak.com/adventure-2/rudi-petschek/

 

[slc_dan]

Received this in the mail yesterday. I've had it on hold at the local library for a month and a half, and just couldn't wait any longer. I'm excited to read it.

 

[TannerT]

Received this in the mail yesterday. I've had it on hold at the local library for a month and a half, and just couldn't wait any longer. I'm excited to read it.

I picked my copy up a couple days ago!! I'm really looking forward to it too.

sent from an undisclosed location

 

[Dan_85]

25 minute documentary about the failed speed attempt from earlier this year...

 

[Pringles]

There are a couple more books about the Grand Canyon that are fun reads. In the fifties, two guys didn't have much money, but they liked to swim. They swam the Grand Canyon. It was written by John Beer, and called We Swam the Grand Canyon. I don't know if you can buy it, but your local library should be able to interlibrary loan it for you. The other is by Colin Fletcher, he of The Man Who Walked Through Time fame. This one is called River. He was an older gentleman by this time, and he wanted to try rafting down the Colorado from source to sea. He started by hiking up to the source, or something close to the source, and then hiked down until there was enough water to float a little boat. His boats got bigger... .

Anyway, both are wonderful reads if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Forgive me the italics. My iPad refused to stop.

Pringles

 

[pstm13]

Just finished the book. At first I thought it was a little over written as it is full of back stories. However, they all fit together perfectly and I really enjoyed the book. The YouTube videos of Crystal and Lava around that time put things in perspective.

 

[Wyatt Carson]

The Emerald Mile is an excellent read. Amazon had it on sale a month or two ago for $1.99 (the Kindle edition) and I snapped it up. It shot back up to 8 bucks or so right after if I recall right. It was an edge of the seat collision of stories that intertwined. I had no idea that they went through that up there that year. We were going through the same storm but in southern Arizona. Normally dry washes were in full flood. Many bridge approaches washed out and big multi story buildings fell into the rivers along with houses and everything else. So we were thinking of that and not other flood disasters at the time so I was amazed at what the damn when through and what they did to try and contain the impending disaster. The run for the "record" and the subsequent trial were entertaining too.

Love all the history in the book too. Some of the characters were pretty far out there in various ways. I've run enough white water in my life that I doubt I'd put my life in their hands though.

I just checked and the Kindle edition is up to 14 bucks now! It was a steal at 2. Girlfriend read it too on her iPad so it was a dollar per person. LOL

 

[HomerJ]

I read the Emerald Mile a year or two ago and just fell in love with it!!!! It may be my all time favorite book! It was so much fun to read!!!

 

[DrNed]

I just finished the audio version.

The further I got into it, the more I loved it.

My memories of coming to Utah for vacation as a teenager
during the summer of 1983 and the sandbags around
the downtown area of SLC gave me some context of how much
water there was that year.

I appreciated that the author was clear on Litton's conservationism and
the importance of it without making those that built and managed the dam
the Evil Empire.

I loved the interweaving of history and present day.

Most of all, it stoked my love for rivers and the outdoors and that they
have value worth protecting.

Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

 

[wabenho]

Cool to see this thread get bumped up. I listened to The Emerald Mile a couple of months ago. I echo what has been said above - 5 stars for sure.

I really liked the historical account of JWP. It would be sooo crazy to venture into the unknown like that. Now we have so much beta on every stream and trail... Sometime soon, I would like to read/listen to The Exploration of the Colorado and it's Canyons by Powell himself.

I also really enjoyed the accounts of the dam operators/engineers and their attempts to "manage" the water that year. Things got really close to disaster. I found myself imagining GW Hayduke running around in there tinkering with things Also very cool how it all ended up being a sort of perfect storm for Grua and his run.